I'm up to something

Meta

Your friend and mine, Mr. Google, decided to help me figure out the answer of how to get a Wii connected to a projector with Composite, S-video, and VGA inputs, over a span of about 15ft worth of cable, without looking like crap.

Given the cable lengths necessary, I figured that composite and s-video were not the answer. Plus, the projector can do 640×480 on VGA which is, technically, an HD resolution so I figured some high-def loving was appropriate.

This guy goes straight from the Wii’s proprietary connection to a VGA output (as well as providing handy RCA for audio and old-fashioned video). At $40 though, it was a little pricier than I wanted, and their website didn’t give me confidence that it could ship in time for The Main Event

This is the component-to-vga adapter that I was looking for. Online reviews of it seemed pretty good, and I like the fact that since it takes component as input, I can use it with other devices besides just the Wii (I’ve been wanting a DVD player for the basement for example, and maybe one of these days I’ll drink the kool-aid and buy a PS3.)

So, I ended up buying the VGA-2000 ($29) and a Wii component cable ($8) from meritline.com, and if all goes well, I should have them tomorrow. One of these days (don’t tell Nerd 2) I can see myself investing in a fancy new projector that does 1080i/p and has HDMI inputs and all that jazz, but it is nice to know that I can keep on keeping on with my relatively ancient technology for the time being.

I don’t know how I feel about weekend updates in this little corner of blogistan. On the one hand, I’m sure they aren’t all that interesting to read, but on the other hand, I hate going back to my old entries and seeing a weekend that I knew was filled with fun and awesome described simply as “my weekend was fun and awesome! the end.”

I guess if I could come up with witty summary phrases like “my sequel filled weekend started with rock band and ended with guitar hero” I could maybe wow you all with my scintillating prose. But then I’d probably want to smack myself, and that’s just no good for anyone.

My weekend, however, was indeed fun and awesome. Played Rock Band 2 at chez delobi (verdict — very much like Rock Band 1), perhaps got a little tipsy (thanks for the ride Joe) and drunk dialled Nerd 2 — who answered the phone at 2 am (that’s kind of a big deal).

Saturday, after successfully fighting off what was promising to be at least a level 3 hangover, I headed to south Minneapolis to help Jenni & Matt make the transition to officially living in sin. This was harder than it should have been, given that 75% off all roads into, out of, and through the area were closed for construction, block parties, and/or “running events”.

Sunday shall go down in history (well, not that anyone will actually write it down) as the first time that I’ve ever purchased a video game on opening day. I felt like a giant dork, but I really wanted to grab Guitar Hero: World Tour before the christmas rush when all the stores would be out of stock of it forever (also, I wanted to be able to play it at Hallowe’en on Friday).

I’m sure there are probably a trillion write-ups about GH:WT on the internet right now, but I figured I’d give some of my first impressions (behind the cut, to save your scrolling fingers):

I wake up to MPR News on my alarm clock in the morning. I turn it up on my stereo while I eat breakfast. It plays in the car on the way home. I pump up The Current while I cook dinner/do chores. I’m to the point where I have to fight the urge to hit the OFF button when I hear advertisements on someone else’s radio.

Which explains why pledge drives make me crazy. As much as I hate most radio dj’s and ads for car dealerships, those pledge drive segments that interject the news (and the music!) all. day. long on MPR make me want to curl up in the corner and whimper. All I want is to hear some good music, or some analysis of the days news — I don’t want to be advertised to, begged, cajoled, appealed to, or anything else.

So, at times like these, I need to find something else to listen to in order to maintain my sanity. Commercial radio isn’t an option, and listening to my own music is good at times, but sometimes I want actual information. Which is why I turn to podcasts. And since I’m going to be loading up my Zen when I get home tonight, I figured I’d share with you a few of the ones that I enjoy.

NPR Podcasts (i.e. how to get your fix without listening to the begging)

Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me! – weekly news based trivia/humour show. Always funny, but, like the Daily Show the jokes get a little stale if you aren’t listening every week, so far as stocking up goes you can only get an hour or two of prime entertainment out if it.

This American Life – If you can get past Ira Glass’ voice, a fascinating (and often funny) little variety show. Can get a little heavy on the Sarah Vowell and David Sedaris at times, but that’s what the fast forward button is for. And if you haven’t listened to their Giant Pool of Money episode yet, you probably don’t understand the current economic implosion as well as you think you do.

The Splendid Table – Actual MPR (well, American Public Media) content. Lynn Rossetto Kasper talks about food the way that normal people talk about sex. This can be awesome, and a touch disturbing if you make the mistake of actually visualizing any of that.

Marketplace Money – Can be depressing if you don’t have your financial house in order, but still interesting, and I have a voice crush on Rico Galliano.

Sound Opinions – two guys in Chicago listen to new music for me and provide opinions that I usually don’t agree with. But, they do play the tunes so I can make up my mind for myself.

Others…

The Savage Lovecast – Dan Savage is a gay man with opinions (his, I usually agree with). Listening to his show is awesome, because the callers into his sex/love advice show are almost always useless idiots who have little right to be around people (let alone have sex with them) and he has absolutely no problem telling them that.

Pseudopod – Hallowe’en is coming, when was the last time someone read you a scary story?

Stash and Burn – for the knitters. Jenny and Nicole talk about reducing their stash, while visiting yarn stores and buying more yarn. If you were a knitter, you would understand that this is funny because it’s true.

Librivox – Not a podcast per say, but a collection of public domain literature, read into audiobooks by volunteers. Think of it as Project Gutenberg, out loud.

So, now that I’ve shown you mine, what’s keeping your ears happy in these troubling times?

Having to explain what it is all the time. It’s to the point where I hesitate to bring it out in public because I know I’ll get interrupted every other page by someone asking “hey! what’s that?!”. People? Hello! I’m reading this book so that I _don’t_ have to interact with you, not so that I can give you an impromptu product demonstration. Amazon has people to do that for you, you know?

Honestly, if you are so technologically illiterate that you don’t know what an e-book reader is, you probably don’t want one. If you do know what it is, then you know that I’m probably reading something, and therefore am not really looking to strike up a conversation.

Oh, and if you know me IRL, don’t worry, I don’t mind showing off my toys to my friends, and if I’m hanging out with you, chances are I’m not all that embroiled in reading something so feel free to ask away. I only use my reading as a forcefield against strangers.

that I’m too damn old to be running around in jeans and a t-shirt as my basic daily uniform

that ironic silkscreened t-shirts are _so_ over (unless they are vintage circa the year of my birth, and you are a hipster).

But I don’t really care. I have a whole line-up of shirts (mainly from Threadless) that make me smile all day when I am wearing them (and make the occasional perfect stranger smile too, when he or she figures out the obscure french art/video game pun displayed across my boobs).

Why am I telling you this? Because someone (I can’t remember who now) wanted to know where I got my awesome Science! shirt. And I couldn’t remember. But I found them again, so now you can be awesome too.

My boyfriend Omar and his friends at Surly Brewing are having a party, seemingly to celebrate the fact that Darkness seems to be the unofficial “status” beer of the twin cities microbrew appreciation crowd. Here are some deets from MNBrew:

Lets talk about D-Day. Thatâ€™s the day we will be selling 750 ML bottles of Darkness at the brewery on October 25th. Here is the latest infoâ€¦

We will open the brewery gates at noon on the 25th.

The first 700 people can purchase up to 6 bottles of Darkness.

Cost is gonna be $100 for 6 bottles. Tax included and cash only.

Weâ€™ll have some bands.

Food and beer for sale at the brewery.

$100? Really? I mean, I guess when you figure that we are talking about six 750’s, and it works out to

I'll admit to never having tried Darkness before. Maybe I can score 6 bottles, drink one, and sell the rest on eBay?